Its the question that's been asked many times... what kind of boat is best for me?

OK, so, right now I am in the market for my very own boat (been borrowing a friend's 23' all summer) and I find myself asking the same question, trawling forums, books and reviews.

Context?
Got 3 young kids 3-7 years old, sail 100% on big lake (Champlain), occasionally have 1-3 guests on the boat (yes 8 is crowded on the deck of a 23'!).

Not super interested in going fast, but would like do do the odd 1-2 night trip with the whole family. I can't see us doing week long trips.

I don't think I'll be trailing the boat all over creation. Champlain has years of exploration in it, but I might bring the boat home over winter to work on it easier (we live an hour + away from the marina).

Budget is $6-9000 all in.

My conclusions so far are...

28' to 30' boats seem to be a jump in price. In my budget range that means older 70's boats.
24' seems a minimum size for young family of 5
24'-28' range seems to be 80's boats in my budget

and here is the big one....
Much of the boat price seems to be in after market equipment, and at the end of the day, much of this seems to be the same. The same electronics, motors etc etc.

So, do I go for an older boat with an older foundation (hull/rigging, etc etc) that is a little bigger, or something smaller and newer?

If I move a move, at most once a year, do I need the swing keel water ballasted trailer-R-Us boat?

In my opinion:
Get a 25 or 26 foot boat. You'll have room for your family. Fixed keel. Forget about trailering. Get a boat with an outboard so your absolute worst case scenario engine-wise is that you have to replace a totally screwed engine with a good used one (always use fresh gas, fog your engine end of season, always use Mercury or OMC oil...do not mess around with questionable oils). Catalina, Hunter, O'Day, Irwin, etc. etc., just be sure you get a survey, even in that price range.

I sail a Catalina 27. Sure it is "trailerable" but it would take a whompin big truck and an extra big trailer (empty boat is 6800 lbs). My 27 is not big enough to take 8 sailing, I had 5, including the wife and myself plus 2 adult nephews and a girlfriend, let me tell you, it was crowded. But that is me, your sailing may be different.

As for boats, there are a bundle of reasonable priced trailerable boats out there, Catalina 22 comes to mind first. Maybe you should consider a boat that can be trailered but stays in a slip durring the season. Setup and take down of even a modest sailboat is a chore for an afternoon of sailing.

__________________
Joe McCary,
Sailing on The Central Chesapeake Bay, West River, MD on my Catalina 27, Aelous II with my wife and friends.
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Relationships are everything to me..everything else in life are just tools to enhance them.

The purchase price of a boat is just the admittance fee to the dance...you still have to spend money on the girl...so court one with something going for her with pleasing and desirable character traits others desire as well... or you could find yourself in a disillusioned relationship contemplating an expensive divorce.

If you want to trailer, get the catalina 25. If you dont, get the catalina 30. The 25 seems to be more in your price range though. 9k wont buy much of a thirty footer but will buy a really nice 25 footer. If trailering isnt a consideraton but you dont want to stay in your budget go with the a Catalina 27. (you would think i am a sale rep for catalina, im not, they just build a great boat for the money.)

If you move it just once a year you can tow anything 27 foot or under. But you will need a one ton truck and you will probably need to go really slow if it is over 25 foot. Towing becomes really doable with a 26 or under with fin keel or swing keel. Water ballast is really convient and user friendly for everything except for the sailing part. A lot of people like there water ballasted boat, but I personally would stay away from them given your particular circumstances.

You may be able to get a good idea of what Grampians are for sale in your area from this website - Model

We find our G-26 is best with 2 adults and 2 grandkids (18 & 16). Not crowded, everyone gets a bit of privacy. You can actually sit 12 people in the cockpit of a G-26, so there's lots of room outside as well.

Your budget will juuuuuust buy you a "no frills" or "needs updating" Catalina with an outboard but you'll be throwing money at it over the next 2-3 seasons adding on and/or replacing electronics, sails, rigging, etc. Or, your budget will buy you an updated and well equipped Grampian 26, Tanzer 26,... or here's a Tanzer 27 in your neck of the woods:1983 Tanzer 27 Sail Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com

Yeah, the electronics are outdated, but it comes with an inboard diesel and two items that I think are imperative if you are travelling with guests and children- a door to the head and a v-berth door.

I'd point out that most of the electronics, unless they're brand new, aren't really contributing much to the value of a boat. I'd recommend you get something trailerable with the trailer, as that can greatly reduce storage costs and makes doing work on your boat a lot simpler—even if you opt to keep the boat in a slip or on a mooring for the season.

I'd also recommend you read the Boat Inspection Trip Tips thread I started, as it will help you determine whether any of the boats you look at are even worth going forward on, saving you the price of a survey on boats that aren't worth looking at further.

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Telstar 28
New England

You know what the first rule of sailing is? ...Love. You can learn all the math in the 'verse, but you take
a boat to the sea you don't love, she'll shake you off just as sure as the turning of the worlds. Love keeps
her going when she oughta fall down, tells you she's hurting 'fore she keens. Makes her a home.

óCpt. Mal Reynolds, Serenity (edited)

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